Could be, but do some reading about the actual battle and get back to me.

Well the portrayal of the battle was fairly realistic, read some of this:

Quote:

Certain aspects of the film are heavily dramatized and edited. The final bayonet charge by the American troops on the North Vietnamese base camp is somewhat over-dramatized and was supported by fixed-wing aircraft rather than by Hueys flown by Bruce P. Crandall and Ed Freeman (their own Hueys were configured as troop carriers and could not have been reconfigured as gunships in the time frame depicted). Historically, the battle ended with the withdrawal of North Vietnamese forces and subsequent extraction of 1/7 by helicopter after they were relieved by 2nd/7thCav which had marched overland from LZ Falcon to LZ X-Ray.
The presence of this other 7th Cavalry battalion, 2nd Battalion (2/7) (as well as that of a platoon from the 2nd/5thCav which happened to be there "on loan" to the 2nd/7th), is ignored during the movie, as well as the battle of LZ Albany which took place barely 2 miles from X-Ray, while the 2nd/7th left LZ X-Ray (B-52 strikes were planned on the Chu Pong slopes, and X-Ray was considered "danger-close" to these strikes, so the LZ had to be cleared first) and marched overland to LZ Albany in what was to be the least airmobile operation in the war (raising much controversy, for the documents pertaining to the chain of command who issued this order were apparently lost), only to stumble on the 66th NVA regiment which happened to be bivouacking in their path, resulting in a much bloodier battle than that of X-Ray (a battle resembling X-Ray's likely outcome had the US been caught completely by surprise, in grass 2 m tall, mostly without radios - HQ squad was destroyed first in the ambush - and with little air and artillery support). The omission of 2nd/7th's battle, combined with the fictitious bayonet charge at the end of the first battle, creates an air of revisionism in the film, or amateurism at the least. Experts may also recognize national guard uniforms in figurative roles instead of genuine Cavalry uniforms.
The movie also hints that the first meeting between Moore and Galloway happened during the battle of LZ X-Ray, while in fact Galloway had been following the 7th Cav on operations (remaining with the troops even through mud and rain, contrary to most other field reporters' choice to ride back to base on a resupply chopper for a hot supper and shower) for the better part of a month before the battle actually took place.
Aviation experts may also notice a gaff at the end of the movie (at the time of the bayonet charge): before Moore leads the charge, a Huey Gunship is seen assaulting the NVA base camp with twin-mounted M134 gatling guns ("miniguns"). This is an anachronism: while in late 1965 Hueys were already equipped with the 2.75" rockets shown in the movie, the XM134 minigun hadn't been issued to ARA (Aerial Rocket Artillery) helicopters yet. At this time they were still equipped with a twin M-60 "flex-gun" on each side (M-60s capable of 70° rotation aimed by the copilot via a suspended cockpit joystick). XM134 (7,62mm) guns were not fitted to Hueys until 1966.
Strangely, the Huey gunship appears to be flown by Crandall, who actually was assigned to an AHC (Assault Helicopter Company), while Huey gunships were commanded by ARA pilots (in the case of X-Ray, by the famous "Black Bart", later KIA in 1968).
The movie also depicts the crash of one "slick" (troop transport chopper), its pilot and copilot killed, while in fact two helicopters were damaged during the battle and forced to stay grounded, but none actually crashed. The crewmen were evacuated on a troop transport Huey, and as the 1st/7th was being evacuated from X-Ray the crippled Hueys were airlifted back to Pleiku for repair. The film also does not depict the loss of a US Navy A1 Skyraider, "Spad", which was downed presumably by fragments of his own ordnance, killing the pilot. (Bombs and napalm have very different safe separation altitudes; the pilot, probably meaning to drop a napalm canister, may have instead dropped a 250-lb bomb, causing shrapnel damage to his aircraft which flew too close to the ground.)

Ugh, that movie was brutally patriotic. I would have enjoyed watching an American flag flap in the wind for two hours than watch it again. Extreeeemely cheesy; but if you like patriotic unrealistic movies like it then I guess there's no harm in liking it.

When did AN claim to be realistic? It's not even based on anything real, other than the book Heart of Darkness, from which it is different. It's not supposed to be realistic; it's supposed to be about something completely different.

WWS is supposed to be about a particular REAL battle, so it is expected of it to portray it with realism.

Hello,
I knew a CWO in the army during vietnam who saw it all. He said the most realistic movie of Vietnam was PLATOON, especially the seen when they got overun and after the flare was orbiting & rocket went off.
Apocolypse Now's conecepts were real, but that's about it.
And Don't forget FULL METAL JACKET, that was EXACTLY how bootcamp at parris island was. I should know, I graduated 2001.